Papers on "Religious Dao and Philosophical Dao" and similar term paper topics

Paper #102173 :: Religious Dao and Philosophical Dao
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An examination of Daoism as both a philosophy and a theology.

Written in 2008; 730 words; 1 source; APA; $ 26.95

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the multifarious canon of Daoism, which is regarded from two distinctively different approaches, labeled for the needs of simplicity, religious Daoism and philosophical Daoism. While both are an extension of the same original texts, the "Daode Jing" and the "Zhuangzi", they are most essentially different in their purposes and the implementation of their ideas. The paper holds that religious Daoism has reconciled itself with philosophical Daoism by claiming its purpose as obediently following teachers and traditions. However, philosophical Daoism emphasizes natural spontaneity, freedom and egalitarianism, leading even to favor political anarchy. As a result, while Religious Dao tends to views itself as a complement to the philosophical doctrine, philosophical Dao rejects such a relationship. Instead, the paper concludes, there is a perception in the relativist worldview that religion, or any such social organization designed to pigeonhole the purposes of Dao's questions or parables, is in fact a subversion of its most important values.

From the Paper:

"The ethical dimension which Smart discusses qualifies the underpinnings of philosophical Daoism's purpose as a divining structure for navigation of life. Though in these dimensions, this aspect is defined as applying to sets of rules, behavioral guidelines and moral imperatives, the nature of Daoism is such that this is not a directly applicable definition. At the very core of philosophical Daoism is a certain evasion of absolutes and an underlying notion that there is no immutable set of morals. Rather, philosophical Daoism provides a set of questions which must be asked and allegories which must be interpreted. This contributes to a certain monism in the execution of values, wherein a person's perspective is a primary governing force. The questions that form the basis of Daoism are intended to invoke a clarity in that perspective rather than to shape the perspective. This is to say that "Daoism has no 'constant dao.' However, it does have a common spirit. Dao-centered philosophical reflection engendered a distinctive ambivalence in advocacy -- manifested in their indirect, non-argumentative style, their use of poetry and parable." (Hansen, 1) There is, in this, an unchanging pragmatism, where individuals, circumstances and variables are equal players in decision making with the philosophical explorations prompted by the Dao."

Tags: Buddhism Taoism Tao

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